He’s a real sketch: Cartoonist makes syndicated debut

Friday

Newspaper comic strips have inked out their place in American art and history. Now, residents of Malden, Mass., can take pride that they have a link to that tradition in cartoonist Keith Knight.

Newspaper comic strips have inked out their place in American art and history. Now, residents of Malden, Mass., can take pride that they have a link to that tradition in cartoonist Keith Knight.

Knight is a professional cartoonist whose work has appeared in publications both local (The Weekly Dig) and national (Mad and ESPN magazines).

On May 5, one of his strips, “The Knight Life,” made its syndicated debut. It appears in The Washington Post as well as newspapers in Detroit, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Las Vegas.

“It covers everything: cops, homeless, kids, Vegas, supermodels, talk radio,” Knight wrote in an e-mail interview a day after his strip went daily. “All the weird stuff that happens to myself, friends and family.”

Knight signed a deal with United Features Syndicate to run “The Knight Life” on a daily basis. He said that syndicates have courted him for years, and that after he won the Harvey Award in 2007 for his cartooning achievements, he felt this was the right time.

Finding a voice on ink and paper

These days, Knight lives in California. He called San Francisco his home before relocating to Los Angeles. But he’s proud of his hometown back east.

“I’m happy to be part of the rich history of Malden,” Knight wrote. “Extreme. Jack Albertson of ‘Chico and the Man.’ Converse All-Stars. Take pride, Maldonians. Medfa ain’t got nothing on us (Besides Tufts)!!”

The self-described “horribly skinny, wimpy kid” kept himself busy, attending “the smarty-pants majorworks program with my twin sis’ at Salemwood on Salem Street” and playing “for the greatest Little League team of all-time, your 2007 champion Dolphins.”

He honed his drawing skills, both at school (sometimes as class reports in cartoon form) and at Faneuil Hall (where he worked on caricatures). Then, he moved to San Francisco.

California dreamin’ (and achievin’)

Knight’s cartooning career flourished in California. Not only has he seen his strips “th(ink)” and “The K Chronicles” appear in publications nationwide, he has imparted his skills to others interested in creating worlds on paper. Knight has taught classes at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, chatting with students afterward and offering support and encouragement.

The tools Knight uses are a Micron Pigma marker and smooth Bristol board. Completing a strip may last an hour, he wrote, “but that’s after the long process of coming up with an idea, sketching it out, sending it in for approval, tweaking it if necessary, and then doing the finish.”

Topics of Knight’s strips include politics, especially critiques of President Bush and African-American issues, on which he is a thoughtful voice.

“The only sense of responsibility I have is to succeed,” Knight wrote. “The only thing I can do about moronic editors who won’t run my strip because they think only black people read it is to succeed despite their ignorance.”

Exciting times

“The Knight Life” debuted at an auspicious moment — May 5 is both Cinco de Mayo and National Cartoonist’s Day. Knight is nearing another milestone: His wife Kerstin, who is from the Black Forest in Germany and who met her husband when he was working at a youth hostel in San Francisco, is expecting the couple’s first child. She’s due on July 1.

Cartooning is a harsh field. Knight wrote that rejection “is a way of life for the cartoonist,” but he has found acceptance and validation for the work he enjoys.

“I love what I do,” he wrote. “’Been doing it for 40 years in one way or another. I’ve always found that the most interesting thing to do is tell personal stories. I’ve got great storytellers in my family … I’m just continuing the tradition in (a) unique way.”

The Patriot Ledger

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